The Mutiny The narrative is dramatic, tragic, and unmistakably Jewish. Four individuals -- Korach, Dasan, Aviram, and On son of Peles -- lead a mass mutiny against Moshe, the leader of the Jewish people, and his brother Aaron, the Kohen...
As people preparing to leave town for vacation, this is a good opportunity to review some of the halachot relevant to praying on air travel. A. Praying in the Airplane Aisles One should not organize a minyan in...
Dear Rabbi and Shira, I have been dating a guy for 2 months now. We really get along well, but I am curious to meet his family. I feel like meeting his...
Two Attributes of Successful Mitzvah Agents Moshe sent 12 tribal representatives to spy out the land. Their mission was a disaster that we still pay for to this very day. The night following their return from the mission...
As we continue to enjoy the wisdom of Pirkei Avos through the spring and the summer, we experience an exercise of mining the pearls and diamonds from the familiar words of these mishnayos. Here’s an example of something that...
The meraglim told Klal Yisrael about the giants who lived in Eretz Canaan. They said (13:33), “We felt like grasshoppers, and that is how they perceived us.” The Midrash states, “Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgave them for saying ‘We felt like grasshoppers,’ but Hashem...
What is Pas Yisrael and why do people specifically observe it during Aseres Yemei Teshuva? What is and what isn’t included in Pas Yisrael? During Aseres Yemei Teshuva, where all of us are...
Parashat Shelah tells the famous story of the Meragelim – the twelve spies sent by Moshe to see the Land of Israel and report back to the nation. Unfortunately, ten of the twelve spies betrayed their mission, frightening...
In this week’s parsha, we are introduced to the meraglim, the scouts chosen to explore Eretz Yisroel prior to the Jewish nation settling there. Meraglim comes from the word regel, meaning foot, for the scouts...
The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer. -- General Montgomery The Hole in the Roof A rabbi stands before his congregation and reports to them that a massive hole has been found in the roof...